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> Because the benefits of antibiotics vastly outweigh the risks. You're better off taking antibiotics than getting a serious infection. But isn't antibiotics s

by Ueland 6y ago

> Because the benefits of antibiotics vastly outweigh the risks. You're better off taking antibiotics than getting a serious infection. But isn't antibiotics something that gets given out in many countries for more or less anything? The US comes to mind. Which to my knowledge is the reason why more and more people in those countries dies of resistent bacterias. I'm 35 and have been given antibiotics twice in my life, and reading about people getting antibiotics for a cold baffles me.

matheusmoreira 6y ago
> But isn't antibiotics something that gets given out in many countries for more or less anything? The US comes to mind. Yes. Antibiotics have a rich history that dates all the way back to the second world war. Before the risk of bacterial resistance became well-known, use of antibiotics was much more widespread. Understanding of bacterial resistance came after they developed mechanisms to resist the drugs used to treat infections such as betalactamase. It could be the case that cipro- and levofloxacin are widely prescribed in the USA because bacteria have already become resistant to weaker drugs. Treatment guidelines in my country have more effective options compared to CDC sources. I have no first-hand experience though. Stronger antibiotics also happen to be very easy to use. It's generally much easier to successfully treat someone with a strong antibiotic than a weaker one. One pill once a day for three days is much easier than 3 or 4 pills at regular intervals every day for 10 days. Getting people to take pills correctly is an every day challenge in medicine, complicated treatments means people will often forget to take their pills and reduce their effectiveness.
einpoklum 6y ago
The US is an outlier with almost anything relating to health... About colds - perhaps it's when doctors don't first wait for the test result for a streptococcal throat infection? https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/streptococcal+infections https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/streptococc...

by Ueland 6y ago

matheusmoreira 6y ago

> But isn't antibiotics something that gets given out in many countries for more or less anything? The US comes to mind. Yes. Antibiotics have a rich history that dates all the way back to the second world war. Before the risk of bacterial resistance became well-known, use of antibiotics was much more widespread. Understanding of bacterial resistance came after they developed mechanisms to resist the drugs used to treat infections such as betalactamase. It could be the case that cipro- and levofloxacin are widely prescribed in the USA because bacteria have already become resistant to weaker drugs. Treatment guidelines in my country have more effective options compared to CDC sources. I have no first-hand experience though. Stronger antibiotics also happen to be very easy to use. It's generally much easier to successfully treat someone with a strong antibiotic than a weaker one. One pill once a day for three days is much easier than 3 or 4 pills at regular intervals every day for 10 days. Getting people to take pills correctly is an every day challenge in medicine, complicated treatments means people will often forget to take their pills and reduce their effectiveness.

einpoklum 6y ago

The US is an outlier with almost anything relating to health... About colds - perhaps it's when doctors don't first wait for the test result for a streptococcal throat infection? https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/streptococcal+infections https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/streptococc...